Gaming Computer - Help me choose

[draceena]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping you can all help me make a decision on a possible purchase. I'm looking to upgrade to a new computer that won't break the bank but that will provide great everyday use and also be a gaming rig.

I've been thinking of doing the whole build myself but there is a local company where I live who I got my last computer through who have a really nice price for a system that is more in my price range than if I do the whole build it myself routine.

If it's ok, here is a link to the 'system build' that I am looking at : http://www.pcmedic.com/GamerEQuote.aspxhttp://www.pcmedic.com/GamerEQuote.aspx and I was going to make the following changes:

1) Instead of the standard PSU, go for the Antec Truepower 850 Quattro
2) Instead of the ASUS P7P55-M motherboard, go to the ASUS P7P55D-LE
3) Instead of the ASUS 9600GT 1GB GPU, go to the ASUS ENGTS250 1GB

Does this look good at all for a gaming rig?

I look forward to all suggestions, critisims, ect

 

[clifford_cooley]

I wish I could help but as a non gamer, I'm gonna have to keep quiet.

Happy parts hunting and good luck with your next build.

 

[AK762]

That GPU will melt under new games; you need an ATI 5870 minimum. I would recommend these specs:

CPU: AMD Black Edition "Thuban" 1055T six core @ 3.2GHz

RAM: 8GB DDR3 1333MHz

MOBO: Gigabyte 890FX chipset

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12

GPU: 5870 (Gigabyte or Sapphire brand)

CASE: Your choice

PSU: Enermax / Corsair / PC Power and Cooling 750w for above build; look for silver certification minimum

7 Home premium x64.

 

[TrainableMan]

AKs build is nice but I doubt you can hit it at your price point, even though AMD does run a bit cheaper than the intel

Why GTS250 instead of the HD5750? - same price and 5750 ranks faster and supports directx11 where gts is directx10

I would go with NO HD, as they are charging too much. $60CDN-320MB, $90-500MB, $140-1TB ... newegg you can get 1TB 7200rpm (slowest I would recommend - dont get 5400RPM) and I personally avoid Hitachi because they seem to run hot, so for Western Digital or Seagate talking $70-100US, even less if you got 500MB which is smallest I would go.

No OS, as it won't allow you to select 64bit and $170CDN is too high - you can buy both 32 & 64 bit Win 7 Pro on eBay fresh unopened for $119US or cheaper

 

[Ian]

What's your budget for the build, draceena? That link shows $1128 + tax for you options (and without a monitor).

The reason I ask is that it would be interesting to price a system up to see what you could get if you built it yourself, so it could be used to compare with an off the shelf system .

 

[draceena]

I knew I forgot to mention something, I'm keeping my current 500GB Seagate HD and Win 7 Ultimate 64bit so subtracting these from the cost brings it under the $1000 mark which is where I want the price to be. As for the GPU choice, I had read some reviews that the HD5750 was failing on a few customers and that was my hesitation on choosing it.

Keep in mind I am in Canada so shopping over the border is a real no-no as the shipping costs are usually astranomical (tax + duty + we feel like charging you more for no reason, ect)

 

[Nibiru2012]

It looks like what you're choosing seems the right fit for you. A quad-core CPU will work just fine and the 5750 will work well for you if you buy a good brand such as Sapphire, Asus or Gigabyte.

You might consider a Gigabyte motherboard, they're rock-solid and usually not as pricey as the Asus boards.

I'm sure whatever you pick out will work fine for your budgetary situation.

Good Luck and let us know how it all works out for ya!

 

[draceena]

Update: I ordered my computer and got it in less than a week. All I can say is .... WOW! What a monster! I am running every game in their maximum video selections without a hitch, and Folding@Home is running through huge jobs in less than a day (where on my old comp it took around 4 days).

I am nothing but pleased and wanted to thank everyone for their input. (for the system specs, just use the handy link under my avatar)

 

[clifford_cooley]

Update: I ordered my computer and got it in less than a week. All I can say is .... WOW! What a monster! I am running every game in their maximum video selections without a hitch, and Folding@Home is running through huge jobs in less than a day (where on my old comp it took around 4 days).

I am nothing but pleased and wanted to thank everyone for their input. (for the system specs, just use the handy link under my avatar)

Nice
Congrats and good luck with your new computer.

 

[TrainableMan]

So you did go with the HD5750, have you overclocked any of it yet?

 

[catilley1092]

That is a killer computer, draceena! Looks like I'll soon be in last place on the folding list. Hope you enjoy it!

 

[catilley1092]

So you did go with the HD5750, have you overclocked any of it yet?

I really wouldn't recommend overclocking a new computer, really there's no need to. And the warranty would be voided.

 

[TrainableMan]

Its pretty easy to overclock the newer HD graphics cards with catalyst control center. I unlocked mine so technically it's void even though I haven't needed to up the numbers any. And overclocking the graphics won't affect her MOBO/chip warranty.

She added internals to hers herself, so this doesn't apply. But Cat, if you buy your desktop computer from Dell or HP or Gateway and you crack open the case, just to see what power supply you received or to add another HD or put in a TV tuner card, it breaks a little seal when you pop the door off and technically you voided your warranty with them if they want to push the issue. "Play by the rules, you'll miss all the fun!"

 

[draceena]

Yep, I went with the 5750. I poked around in the settings and saw the Overclock area but haven't changed anything yet. Because this is a Custom Order, I do have the a-ok to open her up and add/remove what I want and still have a warranty on all the parts that it came with....BUT...if I overclock the card and burn it out, obviously the warranty wont cover that.

So, for now, I'm more than happy to run it stock as it is pretty wicked as is....maybe in 6 months or a year time, I may take the OC plunge on the card.